Ovechkin, Backstrom lead Capitals to 5-3 win over Flyers

Alex Ovechkin and Nicklas Backstrom each had a goal and an assist, and the Washington Capitals beat the Philadelphia Flyers 5-3 Wednesday night to reclaim sole possession of first place in the Metropolitan Division.

Brett Connolly, Tom Wilson and Andre Burakovsky also scored for the Capitals, who won their fifth straight and seventh in the last eight. Washington began the night tied with the Islanders atop the division.

Ovechkin moved one point from reaching 1,200 for his career. He will become the third active player and 49th all-time to reach the mark.

Washington Capitals' Alex Ovechkin celebrates his power play goal along with Evgeny Kuznetsov, rear, John Carlson, front, and T.J. Oshie, right, rear, during the second period of an NHL hockey game against the Philadelphia Flyers, Wednesday, March 6, 2019, in Philadelphia. (AP PhotoTom Mihalek)

Braden Holtby made 27 saves for his 250th career victory.

Claude Giroux had a goal and an assist, and Scott Laughton and Philippe Myers also scored for the Flyers, whose rally from a 5-0 deficit fell short. Philadelphia had won 16 of 21 to close within reach of a postseason spot after sinking to the NHL's worst record in January. The Flyers remained seven points out of the second wild card in the Eastern Conference.

After taking a 2-0 lead in the first, Washington pushed its lead with three goals in the first 5:37 of the second.

Washington Capitals' Braden Holtby deflects the puck with his board during the second period of an NHL hockey game against the Philadelphia Flyers, Wednesday, March 6, 2019, in Philadelphia. The Capitals won 5-3. (AP PhotoTom Mihalek)

Ovechkin opened the second-period scoring with a power-play tally at 2:32 with a wrist shot through goalie Brian Elliott's legs. It was the league-leading 46th goal for Ovechkin, who is four shy of reaching 50 goals for the eighth time in his career.

Burakovsky beat Elliott with a wrist shot from a sharp angle just under two minutes later to end Elliott's night. It was the first poor performance for Elliott since his return from a 40-game absence due to a lower body injury. He entered 3-0-1 in six appearances (four starts) since his return but allowed four goals on 19 shots against Washington.

The Capitals greeted Elliott's replacement, Cam Talbot, with more of the same, making it 5-0 on the first shot Talbot faced when a wide-open Backstrom fired a wrist shot high over the netminder from the slot.

Washington Capitals' Tom Wilson, left, and Philadelphia Flyers' Radko Gudas chase the puck behind the Flyers' net during the first period of an NHL hockey game Wednesday, March 6, 2019, in Philadelphia. (AP PhotoTom Mihalek)

Philadelphia got on the board with 11.3 seconds left in the period when Myers netted his first career goal.

Giroux then got his 20th on a backhander 10 seconds into the third, and it was 5-3 when Laughton's deflection beat Holtby at 7:48.

NOTES: Philadelphia forwards Jakub Voracek (lower body) and Nolan Patrick (upper body) didn't play. ... Flyers rookie G Carter Hart (lower body) missed his sixth consecutive game. ... Washington has won both games this season against the Flyers. The teams will meet twice more in the regular season, next Thursday in Philadelphia and March 24 in Washington. ... Ovechkin has 57 points (34 goals, 23 assists) in 51 games against Philadelphia.

Washington Capitals' Alex Ovechkin skates back to the bench after assisting on the goal by Tom Wilson during the first period of an NHL hockey game against the Philadelphia Flyers Wednesday, March 6, 2019, in Philadelphia. (AP PhotoTom Mihalek)

UP NEXT

Washington: Host New Jersey on Friday night.

Philadelphia: At the New York Islanders on Saturday night.

More AP NHL: www.apnews.com/NHL and www.twitter.com/AP_Sports

The puck shot by Washington Capitals' Tom Wilson, not pictured, gets past Philadelphia Flyers goalie Brian Elliott for a goal during the first period of an NHL hockey game Wednesday, March 6, 2019, in Philadelphia. (AP PhotoTom Mihalek)

Philadelphia Flyers' Brian Elliott, right, skates past Oskar Lindblom, left, as he leaves the game after giving up his fourth goal during the second period of an NHL hockey game against the Washington Capitals, Wednesday, March 6, 2019, in Philadelphia. (AP PhotoTom Mihalek)

Washington Capitals' Braden Holtby, left, defends the goal against the shot by Philadelphia Flyers' Oskar Lindblom during the second period of an NHL hockey game Wednesday, March 6, 2019, in Philadelphia. The Capitals won 5-3. (AP PhotoTom Mihalek)

Mike Vrabel knows as well as anyone how difficult it is to stop Derrick Henry.

“He’s a very unique player. Great speed, great power, strength,” Vrabel said. “He’s just a different body type than what anybody would go against, and so it’s unique in that regard. ... We know what he’s about. Build speed and stiff arm and all that other stuff.”

Vrabel was Henry's coach with the Tennessee Titans from 2018 through 2023, and now he'll face his former running back Sunday night when the Baltimore Ravens host the New England Patriots. Henry is in his second season in the Ravens' backfield, and Vrabel is in his first at the helm of the Patriots.

“He’s a great coach. He does a great job, and they’ve been doing a great job this year,” Henry said. “That’s why they’re in the conversation and the running for the top seed in the AFC.”

Baltimore (7-7) trails Pittsburgh by one game atop the AFC North. The Patriots (11-3) lead the AFC East even after last week's loss to Buffalo, and New England can clinch a postseason berth with a win this week or a loss by either Houston or Indianapolis.

Patriots quarterback Drake Maye will have a prime-time showcase to boost his MVP case. Baltimore's Lamar Jackson, who has won that award twice, has struggled after returning from a hamstring injury but looked better the past couple of games.

The Ravens were a three-point favorite according to BetMGM Sportsbook as of Thursday night — despite New England's vastly superior record. The Patriots split with Buffalo, but that's their only victory against a team that currently has a winning record.

Of course, the Ravens don't currently have a winning record themselves.

The Ravens are home this weekend, but Baltimore is only 3-5 at home this season. A loss to New England would make this the worst home regular season in franchise history. The Ravens finished 3-5 at home in 2015.

Baltimore is 22-5 in home prime-time games under coach John Harbaugh, but 0-2 this season.

New England, meanwhile, is 6-0 as a visitor this season, the only team in the league without a road loss.

For teams that aren't in the same division, the Patriots and Ravens have played their share of memorable games. In 2007, Baltimore came close to ending New England's unbeaten regular season, falling 27-24 at home when Tom Brady threw a last-minute touchdown pass.

Beginning with the 2009 season, the Patriots and Ravens had four playoff meetings in a six-year span, with each team winning two. New England won 23-20 in the AFC title game in January 2012 when Billy Cundiff missed a 32-yard field goal that would have tied the game. A year later, Baltimore went on the road and beat the Patriots 28-13 for the AFC championship en route to winning the Super Bowl.

The teams haven't played as much lately. Baltimore won the last meeting 37-26 in 2022.

One of the things that’s made Maye so dangerous this season is his ability to throw deep passes.

According to Sportradar, entering this week Maye ranked second in the NFL behind Matthew Stafford (32) and was tied with Sam Darnold, Dak Prescott and Jordan Love with 26 completions that traveled 20 or more yards in the air.

Maye said he's had to weigh the potential of deep passes against shorter, safer throws since college.

“I’m just trying to take the plays that the defense gives me and realize that moving the chains and being second-and-4 versus second-and-10 is better — so just challenging that,” he said. “But at the same time, you’ve got to keep the defense on its toes for not squatting on routes and let them know that we can hit one over their head.”

Jackson hasn't missed a game since Week 8 but hasn't had a full week of practice since early November. This week he missed Wednesday's practice because of an illness but proclaimed himself good to go Thursday.

“We just have to win this game and win out, basically,” Jackson said. “I’m not going to say it’s a playoff game, because I feel like every game is a playoff game. We’re trying to win.”

AP Sports Writer Kyle Hightower contributed to this report.

AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl

New England Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel reacts after a touchdown scored by quarterback Drake Maye during the first half of an NFL football game against the Buffalo Bills in Foxborough, Mass., Sunday, Dec. 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)

Baltimore Ravens running back Derrick Henry (22) runs the ball during the second half of an NFL football game against the Pittsburgh Steelers, Sunday, Dec. 7, 2025, in Baltimore. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)